


Can't Dog This

by Raingle



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Dog death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-13 19:20:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9137812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raingle/pseuds/Raingle
Summary: Robert and Aaron are married.  They are living in Mill.  Liv decides that she wants a dog and Aaron wants one too.  Problem is Robert would rather forget about having a dog since he doesn't like them for some reason.  Aaron tries to get to the bottom of the reason why...1 shot - chapter.Might be really long.





	

**Author's Note:**

> The title might sound stupid, but it's like "Can't bare this" so it's "Can't dog this". :)

 

Over breakfast was when Liv started to hint for an animal.  She looked at Aaron.  “Have you ever had a pet?”  She asked.

He looked up from his breakfast.  “Yeah once.  Why?” 

“No reason.  Just wondering, ya know what I mean.”  Liv tried to cover up.   “It was a question that I wanted to know for some odd reason.” 

She looked at the clock.  “I better be going.  Or I’ll be late for school.” 

“Liv Flaherty trying to get to school on time.  The world hasn’t ended, has it.”  He said, sarcastically.

Liv smiled to him.  “Just got some homework to do before class.”  She went out of the house, sheepishly. 

“Normally she’d shot me a look.”  Robert smirked as he looked at Aaron.  He knew that something was up.  “What’s up?” 

“Nothing.  Just her mentioning about pets…it brought back memories of my dog, Clyde.   I’m just thinking about how much of an idiot I was back then.  His death was my fault.”  He looked dreadful. 

Robert hugged him tightly.  “It wasn’t your fault, Aaron.  We’ve all done stupid things in our lives.  I should know that.” 

“Thanks Rob.  You’re a great support.”  Aaron smiled.  He changed the subject.  “So what are we going to do about Liv?” 

“What do you mean?”  Robert asked, confused.

“She obviously wants a pet.  You can tell just by the look on her face.”  Aaron replied.

Robert just smiled.  “We’ll cross that bridge once we come along it.  She might not mention it again.  If she does again, we’ll discuss it.”

Aaron looked at him and smiled.  “Yeah, you’re right.” 

Liv didn’t mention a pet for another two weeks.  Robert thought it was just a one off.  Aaron wasn’t quite sure though.  Robert was away on business for a few days when there was another mention of pets. 

Liv was sitting through the sitting room and Aaron was in the kitchen, making himself a brew.  She was looking at a magazine.  Aaron didn’t really take much notice of what she was reading.  He thought it was probably for gossip magazine that she discussed with Gabby. 

He was shocked when he came through when he saw pictures of different type of dogs.   Liv was circling the pets she wanted, he could see that.  Liv was shocked once she saw her big brother coming into the room.   “I didn’t see you there!” 

“Just making myself a coffee.”  He explained.  He tried to get more information out of her.  “I didn’t know you were into dogs that much.” 

“I wasn’t.  Just looking through some magazines.”  Liv replied, quickly. 

She then got up.  “I’m going to go to Gabby’s.  She’s asked me over for tea.”  She started to walk out.

Aaron needed to speak to her.   She started to go after her.   “Liv, wait!” 

She turned around to see her brother smiling.  “What?” 

“We need to talk.”  He replied.

He sat down and patted the seat next to him signalling for Liv to sit down next to him.  She did as she was told.  He picked up the magazine of the table of the dogs that Liv had left on the table.  He flicked through the pages. 

He stopped when he saw Liv circled around the German shepherd photo of the dog.  He had tears in his eyes, which Liv saw.  “What’s up, Aaron?  You look really upset.” 

He wiped his tears away.  “It’s nothing, Liv.  Just seeing photos of this type of dog.” 

“Do you not like German shepherds or summit?”  She asked, confused by her brother’s emotions.

“No, nothing like that.  They’re my favourite type actually.”  Aaron smiled through his tears. 

“So why are you crying?”  Liv asked.  “Have you ever had a dog before?” 

That made Aaron feel worse.  He knew that Liv didn’t know about Clyde.  “Yeah, I have had a dog before.  It was a German shepherd.” 

Liv seemed eager to hear more.  “What was their name?” 

“Clyde was his name.”  Aaron replied, smiling.  He started to remember Clyde.

“Did he die?”  Liv asked, knowing it was a stupid question.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ask that.” 

“Yeah, he did.  But not of old age.”  Aaron explained.

“When did you have him?  I did hear Paddy saying something about you having a dog.  I thought he might have meant that you got attached to a dog when you were living with him at the Vets.”

“No, he meant Clyde.  I did get attached to him though.  He was going to get put down because he was aggressive according to the farmer that owned him.  But the real reason was that he was treated badly at the farm.  I was the only one who knew that.” 

“What a horrible owner!  If they can even call themselves that.”  Liv suddenly felt a touch of mixture of anger and sadness for the dog she never even knew.

“Anyway, he lived with me and Paddy.  Until I got involved in some dodgy deals.  I used him to get what I wanted.  The guys I messed around with didn’t mess about.  He got his dog and it killed Clyde.” 

Liv felt tears streaming down her face.  “I can’t believe somebody would do that to a dog.” 

“One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do: say goodbye to Clyde.”  Aaron wiped his tears away as he smiled to Liv, remembering the good times.  “He was a very good dog though.  Very good.  I had some good times with him.  He was my best friend back then.  I still miss him now!”

“You were a good owner to that dog.”  Liv reassured him. 

“So anyway, do you want a pet?”  Aaron asked, going back to the previous subject.

“Yeah, I thought it could make a new good member to the family.”  Liv said.  “I just felt the urge to have one a few days ago.  When Harriet was telling me about Edna and Tootsie.  And how close they were.” 

Aaron started to smirk.  “She was really close to that dog.  It was lovely in the end really.  They always depended on one another.”

“I just feel it would make a good addition to the family.”

“It would do, Liv.  I’m guessing you want a dog more than anything.” 

“Yeah, I really love dogs for some reason.  Mum never liked them for some reason.  I’ve never had a dog before.” 

“I’ll look at some.  How about I look online with ya later?”  Aaron suggested.

Liv nodded and smiled.  “Thanks Aaron.  What do you think Robert will think about it?”

“He won’t mind.  He likes dogs actually.  He told me a few weeks ago.  He won’t mind one bit if we get one.” 

Liv smiled.  “As long as everybody is happy for me to get a dog.” 

“We are.”  Aaron didn’t actually know Robert’s opinion on dogs.  But he knew his husband would do anything for him.  He thought he liked dogs. 

Later that afternoon, Aaron popped down to the pub to have a pint.  He saw a lonely Paddy tucked away in the corner.  He was reading a newspaper, while nursing his pint.  He got a pint at the bar from Charity.

He sat down across from Paddy.  “Hi Paddy!” 

Paddy looked up from his newspaper and smiled once he saw Aaron.  He signalled for him to take a seat.  “Hi…”  he said sheepishly.

“Hi.  How’s it going?”  Aaron asked, trying to make conversation. 

Things had gotten back to normal after the wedding.  They decided to make total amends and chat more.  They go on drink nights every so often.   Paddy looked at Aaron and smiled.  “Right Aaron, is there something you wanted to ask me?  I can tell by your face.” 

“Yeah, there was actually.” 

“Fire away!” 

Aaron sat up.   “It just about dogs.” 

Paddy started to laugh.  “It that all?  I mean it’s a bit random I’ve got to say that.” 

“No, Liv wants one…and I wanted your opinion since you’re a vet.” 

“Dogs are really nice.  You should know that after Clyde…”

Aaron interrupted the sentence.  “…I told her about that.” 

“Was she asking like?  I do give hints that you’ve had a dog before.” 

“Yeah, she told me.  She thought you meant working at the vets and I got close to one.”   Aaron smiled at his dad.  “I really want one, you know, Paddy.” 

“Get one then.  It depends what Robert thinks about it.”  Paddy and Robert did make up.  Well, they’re never going to be best mates.  “Just ask him!  He seems to do anything to make you happy.” 

“I know that.  Liv really wants one too.  It’s the only thing she’s been looking at the past few weeks.” 

“She might get attached to the dog like you did with Clyde.”   Paddy suggested, smirking.   “Let’s guess…You’re getting a German shepherd for her.” 

Aaron smirked back.  “Yeah probably.  She does really like them.  In fact, I think it’s her best dog come to that.” 

Aaron downed his pint in no time at all.  He looked at his watch and it was getting late.  He needed to ring Robert soon to say they were getting a pet for Liv.  He looked over to Paddy who was just sitting there, smiling.   He smiled back at him.

Paddy piped up.  “Do you want another pint?” 

“Na, I think I’m going to have to get off.  It’s getting late.   And I think Liv will be waiting for her tea.” 

“You’ve done really well with that girl.  I’m so happy for you, Aaron…”  He hasn’t finished his sentence yet.  “…And Robert too.”  He said that quietly though.

Aaron could hear him though and got up and smiled to him as he left the pub to go back to the Mill.  He’d promised Liv that they would look for dogs tonight on the computer.  He promised his little sister and he wouldn’t break that promise. 

He found Liv just sitting, listening to her headphones.  “Hi Liv.”

She pulled them off quickly.  “Aaron…where have you been?” 

“Just had a drink with Paddy.  I asked his advice on dogs for ya.”  He replied.

Liv went through to the kitchen and hugged her big brother.  He just smiled at his little sister.  He just wanted to make her happy.  After a few minutes, she let him go.  She just looked up at him and smiled.

“Thanks.” 

“No problem!”  He smiled at her.   “So what do you want for tea?” 

“I was just thinking about Chinese or summit.  On me.” 

Aaron was shocked by her selflessness.   “No Liv.  I’ll pay for it.  The scrapyard’s done really well this month.   So why don’t we treat ourselves.”  

She nodded.  “Thanks again, Aaron.  Listen, can I pop around to Gabby’s quickly?  I want her opinion on a dog.  I’ve already called her to see if it was alright.” 

“Take as long as you want.” 

She then went off, leaving Aaron to call Robert. 

Aaron rang Robert.  It only took one ring and he answered it straight away.  He always did.  He was so desperate to speak to Aaron.  “Hi Rob, how are you?” 

“I’m fine.  How about you?”  Robert asked.

“Me…fine.  How’s the business trip?” 

“Before I answer that.  How’s Liv?”  Aaron found it so cute how Robert always asked how Liv was.  They got on well.  Really well. 

“She’s fine.  She’s just popped around Gabby’s.”  He replied, knowing he would have to discuss pets with Robert. 

“You know that pet issue we discussed a few weeks ago.”  That made Aaron calm down.   “I was thinking about getting one for her.  When I get back of my business trip.” 

“Sounds good, Rob.” 

“Thanks.  I really miss our ‘business’.”  He started to flirt. 

“Me too.”  Aaron started to flirt back.  “Really miss it.”  He laughed.

Him and Robert spoke for another half an hour about the ‘business’ trip.   After an hour, Liv came back from Gabby’s.  They got Chinese. 

The next few days brought nothing.   Aaron did show Liv some photos of German shepherds and got some photos from Paddy of Clyde.  He never really saw the photos since he was too heart-breaking, well since now.   Liv comforted him when he started to have tears in his eyes.  

Robert came back as expected and then the conversation for pets started between him and Aaron.  Liv had gone to Gabby’s once again for a sleepover.  He sat Aaron down and started to chat about pets. 

“So Ary, I thought maybe we could discuss pets now.  Since Liv’s at Gabby’s, we’ve got all the time in the world.”  Robert smiled as he sat down.

“Alright.  Tell me your idea.” 

“I was thinking maybe a hamster or gerbils or even maybe a rabbit.  We’ve got a huge garden, haven’t we?  The rabbit can run around the whole garden.  It’ll be fun to watch.”  He smiled at the suggestion.

Aaron was shocked by his decision.  He thought he would think something about a dog or even a cat.  “That sounds good, Rob.  But Liv wants something a bit bigger than that.”  He felt guilty for shooting his ideas down. 

Robert looked up at him.  He looked disappointment, but he kept it hidden.  “Yeah, if she wants.  We could get a few cats for her.”

“I don’t know.  I was thinking of something else.”  Aaron said, giving hints since he felt uncomfortable.

“What else?  Not a parrot or anything.  They get really annoying at times.  I don’t think I could put up with it.” 

“Not a parrot.  I hate them!  It would just wind me up.” 

“That’s one thing we both agree on.”  Robert smiled. 

Aaron smiled back.  “Exactly.  We’re a perfect match.”  He kissed Robert on the lips slightly.  He wasn’t complaining though.

“So what were you thinking about?”  Robert asked.   “I don’t know what else.”

“Liv really wants a dog.”

That last word made Robert go all weird on Aaron.  “Definitely not!”   He demanded.  “We can’t, Aaron.” 

Aaron was confused by his reaction.  “Why can’t we?” 

“I hate dogs.   I mean not dislike them, I hate them.” 

“What is there to hate about them?”  He was confused.   “They’re so fluffy.” 

“We just can’t get one.  Please Aaron, listen to me.  I’ll do anything for you, you know that, don’t you?”  Aaron nodded at that comment.  “But this one thing: I can’t do.”

“Are you scared of dogs?”  Aaron asked, interested on why Robert hated dogs. 

Robert looked at him.  “No, I’m not scared of them.  I hate them.” 

“But why?” 

“I don’t know why.  I just hate them.”  He glared at Aaron, but he then smiled.

Robert looked as though he didn’t want to be pushed further on the matter, so Aaron decided to leave it.  “I just can’t see why anybody would hate dogs because I love them so much.” 

“I know that.   I mean with Clyde.”  Robert gave a sympathetic smile to his husband.

“Dogs aren’t the only thing I love.  I also love this man, I don’t know his name.”  He started to flirt to lighten the mood.   It seemed to work when he saw Robert’s face lighten up.  “I wonder who he is.”  He said as he kissed him.

Robert let go of the kiss after a minute or so.  “Why don’t we take this upstairs?”  He stood up and took Aaron’s hand.  They went upstairs for the rest of the night.

It wasn’t discussed til Robert went out once.  That’s when Aaron told Liv that they couldn’t have a dog, even though, he really wanted one.  He did know that Robert would do anything for him and this was serious for him; he seemed adamant that he hated dogs for some unknown reason. 

The trouble was Aaron had to break the news to Liv.  That’s the most heart-breaking part of this all.  He didn’t know what Liv would react once she found out.  He had promised her a dog and she told all her friends that she was going to get one.

Liv came back from school, whistling.  She seemed really happy.  “Hiya…Robert…Aaron…”  She sounded so happy.

“It’s me!”   Aaron shouted through from the kitchen. 

Liv went over to him and smiled.  “Hi Aaron!” 

“You seem really happy.  What’s happened at school today?  Anything good to make you this happy.” 

“No, school was boring as usual.”  Liv sighed.  Her mood perked up after a second as she says her second sentence.  “But I’ve just run into Rhona.  Paddy has apparently told her that I want a dog, preferably a German shepherd and she knows a person who breeds them.  The litter’s due in a few weeks.  So if she’s going to have a word with you and Rob to ask about it.  And if you both agree, then we’ll be put at the top of the list since her friend owes her a few favours.”   She smiled.

Aaron couldn’t help but feel really guilty.  “I’ll thank Rhona when I see her.” 

Liv clocked her brother’s mood.  “Are you ok?  You just look upset.  Come to that, you’ve been like that for a few days.  Is everything ok with you and Rob?”  She looked worried when she said that.

Aaron smiled.  “There’s nothing wrong with me and Robert.  It’s just I’ve got to tell you something.” 

“Is it bad news?  Has something happened to mum?”  Liv started to panic when it hit her about her mother.  She did see her in the Summer.

“No, no, Liv.  Nothing like that has happened.  It’s not anything to do with health.  It’s bad news for you and me.” 

“What?”  Liv asked, curiously. 

“That dog that you wanted…”  She just nodded as he said it.  “…We can’t get one…”

There were some tears in Liv’s eyes.  “Why?”

“Robert hates them.  He can’t deal with one in the house.  I’m so sorry, Liv.” 

She tried to manage a smile, but she couldn’t.  “Ok…” 

Suddenly, the door opened – there was Robert.  He came into the house to see that Liv was in tears and Aaron was struggling.  “What’s up?  Has something happened?” He started to panic. 

Aaron calmed him down.  “Nothing major has happened.” 

“Ok…”  He then looked to Liv.  “Why are you crying, Liv?”

She wiped her tears and looked at Robert.  “Why do you hate dogs?” 

Robert looked to Aaron.  He just nodded to confirm that he told her about the dog issue.  He looked back to Liv.  “Me and dogs have never had a good start.  We had one at the farm and it bit me…by mistake though.  It was a bad bite.  And it scared the hell out of me.” 

She looked at Robert and managed a smile.  “Sorry for asking.” 

“No, Liv, I’m sorry that we can’t have a dog.  I’m really sorry.  If there was a chance, I would.  But to be honest, I’m a bit scared of them.” 

“It’s fine, Rob.  I’m going to go upstairs.  I’ll be down later.” 

After dinner that night, Robert and Aaron sat down, watching TV together.  “This is the life.”  Aaron commented, smiling to Robert.

“Yeah.  As long as I’m with you…it’s ok.” 

“Can I ask you something?”  Aaron asked, curiously.  “About the dog issue.”  That is what they called it now. 

“What?”  Robert smiled, trying to make his husband feel comfortable talking about it.

“When you live up at Home Farm, how could you tolerate Dog?”  Aaron asked. 

“I didn’t.  I never went out with him, except when Chrissie forced me to.  And that was rarely cos I came up with excuses.  I’m quite scared of dogs actually.  Not when I see them in the street, I’m not.” 

“Alright.  Anyway, let’s watch the TV.”  Aaron smiled as he looked right into his beautiful blue eyes. 

In the middle of the night, Robert got up for a drink of water.  He put a t-shirt on.  As he was going out of the room, he could hear whimpers and cries coming from Liv’s room.  He hoped that she was ok.  It didn’t sound it.

He crept into her room to see if everything was ok and it wasn’t.  She was crying in her sleep and he saw a magazine on her bed and it looked like it was about dogs.  He took a look at her and back at the magazine and it hit him that maybe he should give in and get a dog for her sake.  He didn’t like seeing how upset.  He went to get a glass of water and then hopped into bed with Aaron and falls asleep. 

The next morning once Liv had gone to school, he had stopped Aaron before he got a chance to head off to the scrapyard.

Aaron looked at him.  “Robert, there’s not time for that.  I’ve got work to get on with.” 

Robert just smirked.  “I don’t want that.  I’ve got work too.  I need to have a chat with you quickly before you set off to work.” 

“What is it?”  Aaron asked.  “Make it quick because I’ve got to drop a car off for this contact down South.” 

“Can’t it wait a few minutes?”  He pouted to make Aaron give in.

He eventually did.  “Right…what is it?”

They took a seat on the table.  “It’s about the dog.” 

“What about it?” 

“I’ve changed my mind about a dog.”  Robert beamed.

Aaron couldn’t help but smile.  “Good.  What make you change your mind?” 

“I had a dream of all of us having a dog.  All of us having long days out with the mutt and we’re all happy.”   He lied, but smiled as he told it.

“Thanks Robert.”  He hugged him tightly.  “Liv’s going to be so happy.”

“But on one condition, that we wait six months to a year and then maybe I’ll be even more ready.”  Robert explained. 

Aaron smiled and nodded.  “As long as we get one at some time.  I’m so happy, Rob.  You’re the best thing that ever happened to me and Liv.  She said to me once.  I love you so much!”

“I love you too.”  Robert smiled. 

Aaron smiled and kissed him.  He let go.  “I should be getting off.  I might be back late tonight.   And you can tell Liv the good news.”

Robert smiled as he left.  Then his face crumbled.  He didn’t know what he was letting himself in for.   Tears were streaming down his face. 

When Liv got back from school, Robert was there, making himself a coffee.   She didn’t seem happy.  “Hi Liv.  How was your day at school?”

“Good.”  She sighed. 

“I’ve got some good news for ya if you sit down.”  Robert smiled to her, trying to brighten the mood. 

“Ok.”  She managed another smile, unconvincingly though which Robert saw. 

They took a seat through the living room.  Robert sipped on his coffee.   “Liv, that dog you wanted.  We can get it if you still want it.” 

Liv suddenly hugged Robert.  “Thank you so much, Rob.  You’re the best.”  There were tears in Liv’s eyes.  She noticed that Robert looked worried.  “It’s ok.  It’s tears of happiness.” 

Robert smiled.  “When Aaron comes back, we can look at some dogs if you want to.  Maybe pick a few.” 

“Rhona’s got a friend who’s breeding some German shepherds.” 

Robert managed a smile.  “Yeah, sounds good.” 

When Aaron came back that night, he found Liv and Robert having dinner as they were watching TV.  He came through the sitting room and just smiled at the warmness of the sight that stood right in front of him. 

Robert, suddenly, realized that Aaron was behind him.  “Aaron…how was your day?” 

“Fine.  It took shorter than I expected.  So I’m back early.  How are you and Liv?”  Aaron asked.

Liv smiled to Aaron.  “Robert says we’re getting a dog.” 

Aaron looked to Robert, who just nodded to him, and then he looked back to Liv.  “That’s great, Liv.”

Robert piped up.  “I promised her that we could look at some later.” 

“Yeah.  But I’ve got to have a shower first.”  He went over to Robert and started to kiss. 

“What have I done to deserve this?”  Robert smiled, lovingly.

Liv made a retching noise.  “Get a room!” 

Aaron looked at her.  “Ok, can we look at dogs tomorrow?” 

Robert nodded.  “Yeah, that sounds good.”  He couldn’t help, but smile.  “I wasn’t that bothered about looking tonight.  I’ve got some paperwork to do for Home James.” 

Aaron could see that Robert was smiling at the suggestion.  He didn’t mention until they were going to bed.  He didn’t want Liv to see Robert being scared over the dog, because she would feel good. 

Robert sat on the sofa, drinking some beer.  “Why do you keep looking over at me?” 

“I need to ask you something.”  Aaron replied.

He really wanted to skip the questioning about whatever it was.  He went over to Aaron and started to kiss him.  “Why don’t we just skip this conversation and go to bed?” 

Aaron let go of the kiss.  “We can do that anytime. But we need to chat about this now.” 

Robert huffed as he sat down.  “What?” 

“Are you not ready for a dog?  Just the look on your face when you found out we’re not going to look at them.” 

“It’s gonna to take time to get over what happened to me with that mutt at the farm.  It was a bad experience at the time.  Even though, it was unintentional.   It still hurt me.” 

Aaron smiled.  “That’s fine, Rob.  I thought you might not want one anymore.” 

“I do.  But you need to give me some time.  We can get one next Summer or even Spring.” 

“Yeah.  Whenever you’re ready for one.”  He kissed Robert. 

He then broke apart.  “Stop teasing me!”  Robert joked on, smiling.

“What happened with the dog at the farm?”  He asked.

Robert sat back and sighed.  “If you must know: I’ll tell you.   I was only a kid.  I was messing about in the barn and the dog came up and bite me.  Teasing it wasn’t the best plan.”  He snickered as he said that. 

Aaron laughed too.  “Whenever you’re ready to get a dog, we will.  But we’ll work on the here and now first.  I cannot believe you’ve agreed on a dog in the first place.” 

“Thanks for understanding.” 

“That’s what husbands are for.”  Aaron smiled and kissed Robert briefly.   “I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.” 

“You too.”  Robert smiled back.  “I can understand why you want a dog after what happened to Clyde.”

“Don’t know what you would’ve said back then.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Jackson…I mean.” 

Robert put an arm around Aaron, comforting him.  “What happened like?” 

“I was getting into dodgy deals and he didn’t agree with it.  Nearly broke up cos of it.  Paddy tried to warn me off too.  Didn’t listen and Clyde got killed.” 

“Jackson was right.   But you were young, Aaron.”

“Yeah, I know I was, but I should’ve known better.” 

Robert smiled.  “It wasn’t you fault.  It was that Mickey’s fault.” 

Aaron managed a smile.  “You’re right.  I’m just going to grab a shower.” 

“Can’t you have one in the morning?”  Robert pouted.

“I smell, Rob.  I’ve had to move scrap all day.  A car broke down and I fixed it at the place as a favour.   You don’t want me next to you in bed I stink the place out, don’t you?” 

Robert did a lovingly smile.   “I don’t care what you smell like. Can’t you’re always gorgeous no matter what.”  He got up and placed a kiss on his lips.

It was brief, but it was enough to convince Aaron.  “Well, maybe I could hold off until the morning.” 

Robert deepened the kiss and then Aaron pulled off.  “Why don’t we have some fun upstairs?”  He took Robert’s hand and lead him upstairs.” 

A few days later, Aaron was walking down to the café when he saw Rhona.  He waved to her and sat down. 

She took a seat next to him.  “Liv was saying to me that you wanted a dog or summit.  Is that true?”  She smiled.

Aaron smiled back.  “Yeah, it’s true.  But we’re waiting a few months until we’re all ready.” 

“Oh…Well, I hope you get one someday.  They’re really loving.  Well, of course I’ll say that, considering, I’m a vet.”  She beamed.

“Someday definitely.  I really want one.   Maybe you could keep us informed about when one of your friends have a litter.”

“Of course.  Liv did tell you that my friend’s having a litter of dogs.  She does a lot of breeding with dogs.” 

“Keep me posted.”   Aaron smiled.

Rhona smiled.  “I better be getting back to the vets.    Paddy’s going to need me to be there.” 

“Thanks for your help, Rhona.” 

She smiled as she headed out of the café.

That night, Aaron and Robert had a drink with Adam and Vic.  They sat in a booth.  Adam and Vic paid for the first round. 

“So how are things going for you two lovebirds?”  Adam asked, smiling.  

“Fine, Adam.  What about you and my sister?”

Victoria was at the bar, getting the second round in.  Adam smiled to her.  “I think we’re doing fine.”

“What about Isabelle?”  Aaron asked.

“My daughter…fine.  She’s around at her my mum’s tonight.”  Adam replied. 

“Good, good.”  Aaron smiled. 

“One more thing before the banter takes over.  The drinks will be taking over soon.  How’s Liv?” 

“Happy.”  Aaron beamed.  “We’re gettin’ a dog.” 

Adam smiled.  “A dog!” 

Victoria then came to sit down next to Adam.   “What was that?  I heard summit about a dog mentioned.” 

“Yeah, me and Rob are getting a dog.”  Aaron replied.   “Dunno when.” 

Robert managed a smile.  “Yeah, can’t wait for one.  Aaron’s the one who made the decision.” 

Vic clocked that something was wrong with her brother.  She didn’t mention anything.  She knew that he didn’t like dogs that much.  He told her as a kid.  He probably gotten over by now, she thought. 

The rest of the night was filled with laughter and joking on between the four of them.   Adam kept teasing Robert and Aaron about how him and Aaron couldn’t keep their hands off each other, even in public.  They kept kissing each other from the table.  Adam was seriously drunk and couldn’t handle much more of it, so Vic carried him home. 

Robert and Aaron was sat at the table and were on their third pint and they did have some shots with Vic and Adam.

Chas came up.  “You two better be setting off soon, this place is closing in five.” 

Aaron looked up and smiled.  “We better be going, Rob.” 

“You want to go to Hotten?”  Robert suggested.   “Could make a night of it if you want to.” 

“Yeah, if you want to.  Phone a taxi to come and pick us up.”

Robert got his phone out and rang for a taxi.  They were in town in no time at all.  They decided to go to a bar down the street. 

“Want about this one?”  Aaron suggested, pointing down the street.

Robert nodded.   “Sounds good.  Do you want work tomorrow?”

“No way.  Thought you knew that.” 

They went into it.  For the rest of the night, they sat in a quiet booth and just got shots and had a few more pints each.  Having a laugh with each other too.  Liv was having a sleep over with Gabby.  They could get back at any time. 

It was after 2 by the time they got out of there.  As soon as Robert came out of the pub, he threw up all over the ground.  They got a taxi back home.   They stumbled into the Mill together and went straight to bed.

However Aaron nuzzled into Robert’s nice and kissed.  Robert was easily persuaded and deepened the kiss. 

The next week, things were relatively quiet.  There was no mention of dogs or anything.  Aaron had decided to wait six months for one and Robert was happy with that option.  Liv forgot about a dog a bit and didn’t mention that much. 

One day, though, Rhona approached Aaron outside the pub.  “Aaron!” 

He heard her shout and waited for her to come over to him.  “What’s happened, Rhona?” 

She smiled.  “I’ve got some news for you.” 

“What?”

“My friend’s dog has given birth if you’re interested in a puppy.  They are getting sold pretty quick, so I would get one quick.  It’s a litter of German shepherds if you wanted to know.” 

Aaron thought for a moment.  “Yeah, I’ll give it a think.  Thanks for letting me know.” 

“No problem.”  Rhona then went away.

Aaron didn’t mention it to Robert or Liv.   He didn’t really cross his mind.  He was too busy with the scrapyard to think about it.  There was some major business deals getting signed on.  He went away for a day to try and get it sorted out with them.  This meant more money for the business. 

A few days later, Rhona approached Aaron once again, but this time she looked upset. 

Aaron was concerned about her.  “What’s bugging you?” 

“One of the puppies isn’t going to get sold.  It was born with a limp.  It’s got a dodgy paw.  Nobody’s going for it.  All the others have been sold.  My friend is going on about giving it away to a pound or something.  And I said that you were wanting one.  She wants to know if you’re interested.  I need to know by tonight if you are or not.”  Rhona explained.

Aaron was silent for a few minutes, thinking about that poor little puppy.  “I’ll think about it.  I’ll give you an answer for tonight.”   

Rhona smiled.  “Thanks.”  She went back off to the vets.

Aaron was stuck with that dilemma for few hours.  He dwelled on it while sitting down in the portacabin while Adam was going to see some contacts to pick up some scrap. 

Adam could see that his best mate was preoccupied when he came into the portacabin.  “What’s up, mate?” 

“Nothing much.”  Aaron replied, quietly.

“I can tell when summit’s up with ya, mate.  You have that look on your face for one thing.” 

Aaron looked up.  “What look?” 

“The one that you’re doing right now.”  He smirked, trying to get Aaron to laugh along with him. 

“Adam, I know you’re trying to make me laugh, but it’s not going to work.” 

Adam sat down across from Aaron.  After he sat down, he just looked at Aaron for a few minutes, until he would speak up.

Aaron spoke up.  “If you must know what’s wrong.  I’ll tell you.”  

Adam nodded for Aaron to carry on, wanting to know what was bugging him.  Aaron looked to him.  “Rhona came up to me this morning.” 

Adam was confused.   “And?” 

Aaron shake his head.  “She’s got a friend who breeds dogs.  You know when I told you about me and Rob getting a dog the other night.” 

“Yeah, I remember that.  Has she got one for you and him like?  Why don’t you get one?” 

“It’s hard for me though.”

“Why is it hard for you?  You loved Clyde when you had him.  Walked him every day.  He was your best mate.  You told me that after he died.  He was your comfort dog, protected you.” 

“I know that.  But the dog’s not only for me, ya know.” 

“Is Liv afraid of dogs or summit?”  Adam asked, curious.

“No, she’s the one who got the idea in my head.  She was desperate for one.”   Aaron replied.

Adam’s mind clicked.  “Robert?  I didn’t think he’d be scared of dogs with living on a farm all his childhood.  Vic says she used to have a lot of dogs at the farm as a kid.” 

Just then, Vic came in the portacabin with some lunch and a flask of coffee with her for her husband.   She kissed him quick.

She sat down next to him.  “Why don’t you tell me what the problem is?   I can tell by Aaron’s face that something’s up.” 

“He wants a dog, but your brother’s scared of them.”  Adam told her.

She looked shocked.  “Robert’s not scared of dogs, I don’t think.   What’s he told you, Aaron?” 

“He got bitten by one when he was a kid.”  Aaron answered.  “He told me we could get one in six months or so.  There’s a dog Rhona knows.  It’s a puppy.  German shepherd puppy.  It’s got a dodgy leg and nobody will have it for health reasons.” 

Vic gushed.  “Why don’t you get it?  Once you get the dog, Rob will fall in love with it.   He used to pet dogs when dad owned a farm.  He would’ve been a teenager.” 

Aaron nodded.  “Yeah, I think you’re right.” 

He approached Rhona that night.  “Rhona…I’ve decided.   Me and Rob: we’re getting that dog.” 

Rhona hugged him.  “Thank you so much, Aaron.  That puppy was nearly going to get put down.” 

Aaron was so happy that he was getting the dog.   However, once he got back home he didn’t know what to do. 

He saw Robert sitting on the couch.  “Liv’s doing her homework upstairs.  How was your day?” 

Aaron smiled.  “Finally doing her homework.  Must be something wrong with her.  My day was fine.” 

Robert looked up to him.  “Sure, you don’t look fine.”  He got up and put his hands around Aaron’s waist.  “Come on, tell me what’s up.” 

Aaron smiled.  “Nothing’s wrong.”  He plunged his lips on Robert’s. 

“Oi!  Hands off each other.”  Liv shouted from the hall.

They immediately pulled apart from each other when they saw the teenage girl.  They were both shocked of Liv seeing them being intimate. 

Robert looked at her.  “That was quick.  Thought you had homework to do.” 

“Finished it.  I didn’t have much to do.  It was only a few worksheets.”  Liv replied, smiling.

Robert clapped his hands together.   “Why don’t we go to see a movie and have a bite to eat, what do ya say?” 

Aaron smiled.   “I think that’s a really good idea.” 

Liv looked at them, weirdly.  “What’s the occasion?” 

“I got a pay slip today from work.  I just thought we could treat ourselves to summit.” 

“You’re on then, Rob.  But it’s my choice what we see.”  Liv smiled.

“Deal!”  Robert smiled at her.

She picked a good movie for Robert and Aaron.  They wanted to see that anyway, so it was perfect.  They thought she would pick a kiddy movie to piss them off. 

A few days later, Aaron got into a car with Rhona to see the puppy he was getting.  He decided that he wasn’t going to tell Robert, to leave it for a surprise.  Vic had confirmed that Robert liked dogs and once he got used to them, he would be okay with it.

“Bet you can’t wait for this.  You’re quite the dog person.”  Rhona smiled.

He smiled back.  “Yeah, I love them.   For them to be German shepherds is perfect, really.” 

“So, is Liv happy about this?” 

“Yeah, she wanted one in the first place.” 

Once they got there, Rhona knocked on the door and her friend opened it.

“Rhona…”  She hugged her tightly.  

She soon pulled apart from Rhona.  “Who’s this?” 

“This is Aaron.”  Rhona turned to look at Aaron.   “Aaron, this is Sam, my friend as you know.” 

He shook her hand.   “Nice to meet you, Aaron.” 

“He’s come here to see the last puppy.  He’s a lover of German shepherds.  Used to have one himself.  He wants that last one, really.” 

Sam went over to Aaron and hugged him tightly.  “Thank you so much.  I really like that little pup and I thought it might have got taken away because I cannot afford to keep it.  The mother wants rid of it.  She caused the bad leg, grabbed it by its leg when it was first born.  I don’t want to get rid of the mother because it wasn’t her fault.  She was in a bad way after giving birth.  Really bad away.  She was in pain, the girl.  Enough about that.  Come on, follow me.” 

She guided Aaron to the living room.   There was a little puppy sitting in the doorway.   The puppy limped their way across to Aaron.  He got down on his lap and stroked the dog.

Sam smiled to Aaron.  “You’re a natural.  She loves you.” 

Aaron hugged the puppy.   “She’s so cute.  When can I have her?”  He laughed.

She laughed too.   “Desperate, aren’t we?  In the next few days if you want to definitely have her.” 

He interrupted her.  “Yes, definitely.”  He came to his senses.  “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you.  Carry on.” 

“There was nothing else.”  She smiled, understandably.   “All I was going to say was you have to sign some paperwork to have her.  You need to get a vets sorted out.” 

Rhona piped up.  “He’ll be signed up to our vets, thank you very much.”  She smiled though.

“Oh…I’m so sorry, Rhona.   Forgot you had a vets.  So that’s sorted.   Just sign some paperwork.  Now, if you want to.” 

Aaron took a few moments to think about it.  He really liked the dog and he knew the cute pup would warm Robert’s heart sooner or later.  He felt guilty, but Robert would come to thank him for it.  If he could live at Home Farm with Dog, so why can’t he settle with a cute German shepherd puppy.  He didn’t have to bother with it at all if he didn’t want to.  He and Liv would give it so much love.  Enough to replace Robert.

He looked lovingly at the dog.   “Yeah, I think I might have the dog now.” 

Sam smiled.  “Thanks, it’ll be worth it all once you get that puppy home and out.”  She walked off, but stopped.   “Have you got a crate for the dog?”

Aaron shook his head.  “No, we haven’t.  Sorry, I’ll get one.” 

Rhona looked at Aaron and then the puppy.  “We can supply a crate for you, Aaron.” 

Aaron looked to her and smiled.  “Rhona, you’re a lifesaver.  I can’t thank you enough for it.”

Sam continued to get the paperwork sorted for Aaron.  He took a seat at the table.  She came back through and put the paperwork in front of him.   She gave him a pen.

Once he finished up, Sam got the paperwork from Aaron and put it in a file.  She photocopied a sheet and give it to Aaron.   Rhona sorted out the paperwork for the vets, while Aaron was playing with the dog.

“I’ve got some toys at the vets if you want to borrow some, until you can get some.”  Rhona offered an olive branch.

“Thanks, Rhona.  I’ll get some in the next few days.  I might get some once I’ve dropped the dog off.”

He looked to Sam.   “My sister’s going to be so happy about this new addition for the family.” 

“His sister’s very good with dogs.  She did work experience last year at the vets and loved every second of it.”  Rhona commented.   “And his boyfriend used to live on a farm and they used to have loads of dogs.”

Sam smiled.  “At least, you’ve got your family’s support.” 

Aaron managed a smile, unsure of what Robert would say to the new addition.  Sam give him a basket to carry the puppy back home.

He went on the fifty-minute drive back home with the dog and Rhona.  He dropped Rhona off at the vets.

“Thanks for today, Rhona.  I owe you one.”  Aaron smiled to her. 

“Nearly forgot.”  Rhona ran back into the house. 

She came out a few minutes later with a bag of toys for the dog.   “Here…for the dog.” 

“Thanks.”  He got the bag of toys and went back to the Mill.

Robert wasn’t due to later that night and Liv was still at school for another two hours.  He got the dog settled in the crate that Rhona give him.   The puppy feel asleep pretty straight away.  

Aaron decided to nip to the shop to get some goodies for the puppy.   He headed down to the shop after stroking the puppy’s ear. 

Once he got to the shop, he saw David.   “Hello mate, what would you like?” 

Aaron smiled.  “Just some dog treats.” 

David looked shocked.   “Dog treats?  What for?  I didn’t know you had a dog.” 

“Just got one.  I mean just now.  It’s a puppy.” 

“Oh…is it some kind of surprise or does the family know?” 

“Liv doesn’t know yet or Robert for that matter.  She’ll get a shock once she comes home from school.  Can’t wait to tell her.” 

David smiled to him.  “Good luck!” 

Aaron bought the stuff and headed back home with the toys and the treats.  He placed them down in front of the crate where she was still sleeping.  He didn’t know of a name yet, he would wait until Liv got home from school to pick a name.  He knew Robert wouldn’t be that interested in picking a name. 

There was a knock on the door.  He went to answer it and saw that it was his mum. 

She smiled.  “I just saw you walking down the street with a bag full of dog treats and toys.” 

“Why wouldn’t I get them?”  He joked on.   “I mean it’s the essentials.” 

Chas’s face turned into a smile as she hugged Aaron.   “You’ve got a dog.   Oh my god, love.  Where is it?” 

Aaron put his finger to his lips.  “Be quiet!”  he hissed.   “She’s asleep outside her crate at the minute.  Don’t wake up her.  It’s been a long day for her, a long journey.” 

“How did you find one so fast?”  Chas asked.

“Rhona’s got quite a lot of friends.  She had one who breeds German shepherds and she took me to see the last one.” 

“The last one?  They got sold pretty fast.” 

“They were born eight weeks ago.  But nobody would buy her.  She’s got something wrong her with leg. Done by her mother by accident.  She was going to get put in a pound, but if she didn’t sell in one, they would’ve had to put her down or maybe they would’ve kept her…but what life would she have had.” 

“Ah…”  Chas came in and saw the dog sitting in the corner, peacefully sleeping.   “She’s so cute.” 

“I know.  She is, right.”

“How about you come to the pub for some drinks with me?   Some of the family will be there if you want to come.  It’s only for about an hour.  Just for a catch up, ya know what I mean.”  She suggested.  “It’s your choice.”

Aaron nodded at the suggestion while she spoke and afterwards he smiled.   “Sounds good.  I’ll come with you now.  I’ve got to be back in a few hours.” 

He followed his mum to the pub.  He sat down at the bar where the Dingles were sat.   He nursed his pint with the conversation flow that was going on between them all.

He didn’t look at the time.  He didn’t even know what time it was.  Well, until Liv came through the pub with a big smile on her face. 

She ran and hugged Aaron.   “You didn’t tell me.” 

Aaron’s mind clicked as he looked at his watch.  “About the dog, you mean.” 

“What else would I be running to the pub to see you for?” 

“I don’t know.”  He smirked.   “So, it’s obvious what you think about the new addition.” 

She hugged him again.  “When did you get the cute little puppy?”  She let go of him, waiting for an answer.

“This morning, Liv.  Rhona’s friend you were telling me about had one left.”

“The limp made her not get sold that easily, I know.  I’m so glad that you got her.  She’s so cute.  She woke up when I came in and came running up to me, but she had that limp.   I went up to her though.  What’s her name?” 

Aaron smiled at his sister.   “Why don’t we go back home and see her and choose a name for her.” 

They soon got home and saw the dog laid next to the crate. 

Liv went down next to her.  “What do we call her then, Aaron?” 

“Think of a name that would suit her.”  Aaron replied, thinking.   “You can pick since it was your idea to have a dog in the first place.” 

“Thanks so much again for her, Aaron.  You’re the best brother, anybody would be lucky to have you.” 

“Don’t mention it.” 

“Do you have any ideas for a name?”  Liv asked.   “We could call her Clyde, but she isn’t a him, is she?” 

Aaron laughed.  “Don’t think so.” 

He thought for a moment.  “What about Fifi?” 

“Na, not her type.” 

“What about Trixie?”  Liv asked.

His face brightened up.  “Sounds like a good name.  I think that really suits her.” 

“That’s finally – hello Trixie.”  She stroked her gently so it didn’t wake her up.    “That’s a really good name for such a beautiful dog.” 

She turned to Aaron.  “Does Robert know about this?”

“Yeah, he helped choose the dog when Gabby was here the other night.  We wanted to keep it as a surprise for you.  We knew that you’d like Trixie.”  He covered his tracks so Liv wouldn’t ask loads of questions.

He knew that he would have to tell Robert the truth once he gets home.  He will get to him first and have a discussion with him so he won’t freak.  Trixie would grow on Robert, he just knew.  Robert was a soft touch when it came down to it and he would fall for the dog and see why he got her.

Aaron was doing the washing up when Robert came home.  He didn’t hear the door open since he was in the other room when he came home. 

Liv got to him first, which Aaron didn’t know about.  He had to get to him first to sit him down and have a quiet word with him.   “Robert…thanks for the surprise.”  She hugged him.  “You’re the best.”

Robert looked confused.  He pulled apart from Liv.  “What surprise?” 

“What do you think I mean, Rob.  Come on, you don’t have to keep up pretending, Aaron’s already come clean to it.”  Liv was confused, but smiled. 

He knelt down to her.   “Seriously, I don’t know what you mean.  Can you tell me?” 

Liv knew he was just being extra secretive.  “The dog that you bought for me.” 

Robert laughed.  “Yeah right, is this some kind of joke?  Cos it’s quite funny really.” 

Before Liv had the chance to speak up again, the puppy came running through to Robert.  There was a shocked expression came onto Robert’s face once he saw the dog. 

“What!”   He yelled. 

Liv backed off.   “I thought you knew.” 

Aaron heard the commotion from the other room and he knew straight away what had happened.  He went through to see an angry Robert standing in front of him.

Robert looked to Liv.  “Why don’t you take that…”  He pointed to the cute puppy, looking straight up to him.   “…And go upstairs.” 

Liv nodded as she took Trixie to upstairs to her room.

Once she got upstairs, Robert turned to look at Aaron.   “What do you think you’ve gone and done.” 

“Robert, I can explain if you give me a chance to.”  Aaron tried to calm him down as he took a seat.   “Take a seat next to me and I’ll explain to her.”

Robert took a few steps back from the sofa to prove a point.  “No, I don’t think I’ll sit down, Aaron.  I’m not listening to some crap that you’ll come with.  About how it’ll all work out in the end, well it won’t work out at all if it’s up to me.” 

“What do you mean?”  Aaron asked, confused.

“You always get what you want, Aaron and I’m sick of it.  So, this isn’t going to work out because I’m putting my foot down on this matter.  I told you I’m not ready for another six months, but what did you go and do: get a dog right behind my back.”

“If you let me explain, Rob, I could get this sorted out.” 

“Go on, come up with a story to cover your skin.”  Robert smirked.

Aaron stood up.   “What do you think you’re laughing about?  All I want to do is sit down and have a chat with you and to explain about the issues with the puppy.”

“Have you got a name yet?”  He asked.

“I don’t get it: you’re interested now.  The name is Trixie.” 

“So, you’ve gone and got the dog a name.  It’s going to get all attached to the family now and it won’t want to go back from where it came from.  I feel sorry for it.”

“We’re not getting rid of her.  She cannot go back.”

“Why?” 

“The reason I got her so quick was because she was going to get put in a pound.  She’s got a bad leg cos of her mother doing it after giving birth accidental.  It’s got a limp.  Rhona told me about her and it made me want to get her.” 

Robert thought for a few minutes.  Aaron could have sworn that he saw upset on his face.  

He looked up to Aaron again.  “You know what, I’ll see you in the morning.” 

He stormed upstairs.  

Aaron didn’t bother to go after him, he give him time to try and get his head around the fact that they had a new addition to the family. 

At 11, he went up to bed and saw that Robert was fast asleep.  He didn’t want to wake him, so he tiptoed upstairs to the bed. 

The next morning, Aaron woke up and saw there was no Robert next to him.  He went downstairs and there was no sign of Robert.   There was a cup on the kitchen table and it was empty.   He figured that Robert went to work early to get avoid him.

Aaron went to work as usual and came back on the night to see Liv sitting down, looking straight at him.

She stood up.   “Robert didn’t know about the dog, did he?”

“No, he didn’t, Liv.” 

Liv grew angry.   “You should’ve warned him before you brought a dog into this home.  This is his house too and he’s got to make some of the decisions.  Do you know?  That will hurt like hell for him.  Why else has he went to work that early and hasn’t finished earlier.” 

“Liv, don’t be angry with me.  You wanted this dog as much as me.  Robert will get used to it.  It’s two against one here.” 

“That doesn’t matter, Aaron.  It shouldn’t matter really.  The biggest problem is that Rob did decide to get a dog for you and me when he was ready to.  But you went behind his back and got one anyway.” 

“Liv, trust me, please.  That dog was going to have a rough life if it wasn’t for us.  Robert will be fine with it.” 

“No, he won’t and I understand that.”  Liv sighed.  “There’s no point: you’re not listening to me, so I’m just going upstairs to ring Gabby.”   She went off.

Aaron was left, feeling guilty.  He had been told by his own sister that he had been unfair and he knew he was.  He also knew that it would work out in the end.

He knew that there would be fireworks.  He knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

After a few hours, Robert decided to come back home.  He looked at Aaron, but he stormed straight off upstairs, not even talking to Aaron.

“Robert!   Wait for me!”  Aaron shouted after him.

Liv came down for dinner.  She sat down next to her brother. 

“Sorry about before, but it needed saying.”  Liv smiled.

He smiled back.  “I know that.” 

“Where’s Robert?”

“Upstairs.  I think he needs time to calm down.” 

“Yeah, I know what you mean.  If he’s scared of dogs, it must come to a shock.” 

Liv stroked the dog when it came up to her.   Aaron stroked her too.   She was wimping for something.

“What’s she wimping for?”   Liv asked.

“Probably wants some food.”  Aaron got some dog canned food out of the cupboard.

He poured into Trixie’s bowl and smiled to her and fussed her quickly, he left her to get on with her dinner.  However, she wasn’t interested in the food at all.  She didn’t even acknowledge the food.   He thought maybe she wanted to go out.  He opened the door, but she wasn’t interested in that either.

She was wimping upstairs.  Aaron came to a conclusion.  “I think she might want to see Robert since she hasn’t seen him yet.” 

Liv smirked.   “Lucky Rob.  Come on, Trixie.”  She put her hand out and the puppy came.

Things repeated like the night before, Aaron went upstairs but Robert was fast asleep.  He figured that Robert would speak to him tomorrow and they would have a conversation about Trixie.

Like the morning before, Aaron came down and there was no Robert, just a cup on the counter, but this time it was washed.   He was getting sick of it.  He knew he only had himself to blame.

That night, Robert didn’t come home until eleven.  Aaron was sitting on the couch, waiting for him to return.  

Aaron went through to the hall to see Robert trying to smile.  He started to head upstairs, but Aaron grabbed his arm to stop him from going anywhere.

Robert hesitantly turned around to see Aaron not looking impressed with him.  “I haven’t spoken to you for two days now and you think that’s only worth a smile.” 

“I’m tired, Aaron.  I’ve had a long day at work.  I had to drive down South.” 

“So why didn’t you call me or even text me to tell me about it.  Not leave me waiting around for you all night.”  Aaron questioned him.   “Maybe we can sit down and have a chat about this disaster.”

“The disaster that you made in the first place.”  Robert fired back.   “So don’t start that one with me.” 

“And I’ve told you I’m sorry.” 

“But you haven’t.  Not exactly.  I’ve got a reason to be mad at you.” 

“Can you just call it quits?  We can have a chat in the morning about it.”  Aaron put his hand out.

Robert didn’t take it though.  “We’ll discuss it in the morning.  I’m just so tired to even think about this chat.”  He went to bed.

There was a thump on the door the next morning.   “We’re here for a Mr Robert Sugden-Dingle.” 

It was the police on the other side of the door when Liv answered it.   “Yeah, he lives here.   What do you want him for?”

Aaron rushed downstairs to see the police.   “Is Robert Dingle here?”

Aaron shouted upstairs.  “Robert, you’ve got some visitors to see you.” 

Robert rushed downstairs to see the police.   “Officers, what do you want me for?” 

One of them grabbed Robert by the arms.   “Officers, what have I done?”  He acted innocent, trying to lure them away.

“Robert Sugden-Dingle, we’re arresting you on the suspicion of breaking an entry.”  They took him away.

“Robert, call me.”  Aaron yelled from the front door.

Robert nodded as he got put in the police car and drove away from the Mill.

Aaron went back in to see Liv panicked.  He hugged her.   “It’s ok, Liv.  He’ll be out by lunch time, I promise you.  It’s an accident.”  He didn’t know what to think really.

“I know.  But it’s just a shock for the police to bang on the door this time of the morning.  I’m going to try and get back to sleep.”  She went upstairs.

She stopped halfway.   “Do you think it’s actually accident?”

Aaron nodded.  “Of course I do.”

“Aaron, what time did he get back last night?”  She asked.  

“He was on a drive down to London and rang me about 4.  I forgot to tell you about it.  He got back by midnight luckily.” 

“Good.   So, the police have nothing against him if he says that.” 

Aaron was unsure, but got her mind at rest.   “They’ve got nothing against him whatsoever.” 

She smiled and ran back upstairs.

Aaron went back up and tried to get back to sleep, but he couldn’t.   He kept thinking about if Robert did it or not.   He was out late last night.   There is a chance that he could’ve done it in frustration of him getting Trixie. 

“Is he back yet?”  Liv asked Aaron over the phone at lunch.

There was still no sign of Robert or a trace of him even coming back.   Aaron thought for a few moments after Liv asked the question.

He piped up after two minutes.  “Not yet, Liv.  He’ll come back this afternoon or early tonight.  I think.”  He didn’t see the point in lying to Liv, because it would just go wrong in the end.

There were sound of tears from Liv’s ending.   “Ok, Aaron.  I’ll see you tonight.”  She hung up.

Aaron had tears streaming down his face too.   He didn’t know what to think about Robert not coming home yet.  He wondered if things would ever be the same again.  He clung to the hope that Robert would get used to it. 

He decided to head over to the pub to see if Robert might have been there to see Vic.  He knew that he would come home first to see him, but he might have popped in for a drink.  Although, he would have rung him.  He got there to see Chas talking to Vic. 

She clocked her son coming into the pub.   “Aaron, is there any news?” 

“What?  How do you know?”  Aaron was confused.   “Has he come here or summit?”

“No, Liv called me half an hour ago to ask if he was here.  She was crying I think.  She explained what had happened.  I was going to come over, but thought to give you an hour or so.”

“Oh, poor thing.”  Vic piped up.  

“I thought Robert might be here.” 

“Why would Rob be here?   He’ll be at work.  Try the scrapyard.” 

“You don’t know about him getting arrested.”  Aaron looked confusingly to her.  “Thought my mum would’ve told you.”

“I was going to.  But then you came in.” 

“My brother’s been arrested.”  Vic was in shock.   “What’s he done?” 

“The police came earlier this morning and arrested Rob for breaking an entry.”  Aaron replied.  

“Has he done it though?  The police always make mistakes, even on murder investigations.” 

“He might have done it, I don’t know.  I don’t think so though.”   Aaron didn’t know what to think.

Vic turned to look at Chas.   “Chas, can I clock off for this afternoon to wait with Aaron to see when Rob comes home?” 

“Course you can, Vic.  I’m not stopping ya cos he’s your brother.”  Chas smiled.  

She smiled.  “Thanks Chas.   I owe you one.” 

Chas turned to Aaron.   “Keep me posted.  Text me when Robert comes home.” 

Aaron nodded and smiled and then left the pub with Vic back to Mill cottage.

Somebody came into the house at 3.  Aaron rushed to see who it was.  There stood Liv standing in front of him.

“Is Rob back yet?”  She asked.   “Didn’t see a car outside.” 

Aaron sighed.   “No, Robert’s still at the police station.”

“Right, he’ll be back soon, won’t he?” 

He reassured her.   “Course he will.  It’ll all be sorted by tomorrow, I bet ya.”

Liv went into the living room to see Vic sitting there with a cup of coffee.   “Hi Liv, how was your day?”

“Fine.  Except for Robert being arrested.”  Liv sighed as she sat down.

Aaron looked to Vic.   “Look, I’m going to pop down to the police station to see if Rob’s coming home.” 

Liv stood up.   “Can I come with ya, Aaron?” 

“It’ll be easier if I just go.  We’ll be back in half an hour with Rob too.  Or maybe we’ll have a clearer idea of what is happening.” 

He looked to Vic for back up.  She saw the look on his face.  

She looked to Liv and give a comforting smile.   “Liv, why don’t you come and sit down next to me and we can whatever you want to do while your brother goes to see if Rob is at the police station.” 

Liv tried to smile, but Vic knew she couldn’t.  She gave a face to show Liv that she didn’t have to smile.  

She sat down next to Vic.   “Sounds good.”

“Board games?”  Vic suggested.

Liv smiled.  “That and maybe I can ring Gabby after.” 

“Right, sounds good to me.”  She signalled for Aaron to go.

Aaron went down to the police station and didn’t see Robert in the car park or anything.  He went into the police station.

He spoke to a police officer.   “Is a Robert Sugden-Dingle here?  He got arrested earlier this morning.” 

“What’s your relation to Mr Robert Sugden-Dingle?”  The police officer asked.

“Husband.  The name is Aaron Sugden-Dingle.” 

The police officer nodded.   “Take a seat, Mr Dingle.  I’ll get some information of what’s happening with your husband.” 

Aaron took a seat and a few minutes later, the police officer came back out.

He looked down at Aaron.   “Your husband’s coming out in a bit.  Just take a seat and wait for him.” 

“Right, thank you.”  He replied.

He sighed to himself, waiting another fifteen minutes til Robert came out.

Robert, eventually, came out and the police followed him out.   He didn’t notice Aaron was there, until Aaron did a cough to get his attention.

He stared down at Aaron.   “What are you doing here?” 

“What do you think!”  Aaron dragged him outside of the police station to have heated words with him. 

“You didn’t finish your sentence.”  Robert smiled.

“I know I didn’t because I need a chat with ya.”

“What about?”    He played like the innocent.

“Are you stupid or just acting like an idiot once again.  You’ve been in a police cell the whole day and you’ve not explained to me what you’ve done.” 

“It might have been a mistake, Aaron.  Have you ever thought about that for one minute?” 

“Don’t try that one with me, Robert.”  He fired back.  “Now tell me what’s been going on.” 

“I’ve got let out on a caution if you wanted to know.”  Robert explained.  “No harm done.” 

“No harm done?  You’re kidding me, right.   I’ve been worried all day about you.  Liv’s been crying worrying about you.”

Robert started to panic.  “Is she ok?” 

“Yeah, she’s calm down a bit.  But she’ll want an explanation of you and I want one too and your sister wants one.”

“What’s Vic doing at home?  You haven’t got her worried about me, have you.”

“She wanted to know what’s happening with you.”  Aaron replied.

There was tears in Robert’s eyes and Aaron saw them and hugged him.   “Why is everybody worried about me?  I don’t deserve this.” 

He let go of Robert after a minute or two.  “I know you don’t.  Because you’ve been acting like a prat the last few days just because we’ve got a dog.”

“You don’t know how hard that is for me at the minute.”  Robert said, wiping the few tears from his face.  “I didn’t even want a dog and you got one without my say so.” 

“Not this again. Look, I know you’re scared, but you’ll get used to Trixie.  If you don’t, I’ll put her in a separate room and me and Liv will take care of her.” 

Aaron walked over to the car with Robert.   “Get in and we’ve got to go home.” 

Robert got in and there was no words from he and Aaron on the way back.

Once the door opened, Liv ran over to the door and hugged Robert tightly. 

Vic hugged him afterwards.  “What did you do, Rob?” 

“I was driving home last night and got tired so I parked up somewhere.  I didn’t know it was a private area, so they called the police on me and I’ve had to spend a day in a police cell because of them.  I want to have it out with them, but I’m going to stay away, so they don’t put me in the nick again.” 

That night, Aaron was going to bed and crept downstairs to see a shocking sight.

Robert was crouched down next to Trixie and stroking her.   “Right girl, you’re ours now and we’re going to keep a good eye on you.  And love you.”  He hugged her quick and she licked his face.  “Ah, you’re so cute.”

Aaron disrupt the scene after the lick on his face.   “Scared of dogs, are we?”

Robert turned around to see Aaron standing there, angry looking face.   He was shocked.   “Aaron, I can explain.”

“Save it, Robert.   I don’t want to hear your excuses anymore.  I’m sick of it.   You’ve made me feel guilty about getting a dog when you’re obviously not scared of them.” 

“Aaron, sit down and I can explain.”  Robert instructed him to sit down, which Aaron eventually did.

“Go on then, try and get out of it.”  Aaron sighed, not looking at him.

This hurt Robert.  “I’m not going to.  I was just talking to Trixie to say that everything would be alright.” 

Aaron looked to him.  “Promise me that you’re not messing me about once again.” 

“I promise you, Aaron.”  It hurt Robert to think that Aaron bringing up about him before he changed.

“Right, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.  Just this once though.” 

“Thanks Aaron.” 

“Tell me the real reason why you got arrested for breaking an entry.”  Aaron was suspicious.   “I want to know the truth.  Not the lies you spun for Vic and Liv.” 

Robert backed away from Aaron.  “What do you think I am.  Course I’m telling the truth.  Why would I lie?  What would I gain from it?”

“I don’t know.  It’s just the suspicion.”

“I promise you, I’m telling the truth.  Ask the police if you want to.” 

“Right, right, I believe you.” 

“Good.   Well not good because I had the suspicion.”

Robert cuddled into Aaron and hugged him.   They soon fell asleep.

Aaron went into the pub to see Diane tucked away in a corner with Doug and Eric.  He got a pint of beer and drank it slowly.

Diane went over to him.   “I heard that Robert got arrested yesterday.  What happened?” 

Aaron turned to her and managed a smile for her.   “For breaking an entry.”  He saw the shock planted on her face.  “He was tired the other night and slept in a private area and the owners called the police on him.” 

“Oh…tell him I’ll pop around later.”  Diane was going away and then she turned around.   “Heard you got a new dog.” 

“Yeah, she’s called Trixie.”  Aaron replied.   “I got her a few days ago.  She’s got a dodgy leg and limps all the time.” 

“Ah…is she ok?”  Diane felt upset for the puppy.  

“Yeah fine.  Happiest I’ve ever seen a puppy.” 

“I’ll come and meet her this afternoon.”   Diane said.  

That afternoon, Diane came as expected and hugged Robert tightly.

“I heard about you getting arrested.  Are you ok now?”

“Yeah, I think so.  Just a misunderstanding.”

“Good to hear it.” 

He made her a cup of coffee and placed it on the table.  He made one himself.

She saw Aaron and Liv stroking the dog and Robert sitting there with a cup of coffee, not taking an interest in Trixie. 

She kept the thoughts in the back of her head.  She stroked Trixie.  “You’re so beautiful.”  She talked to Trixie.

She turned to Aaron and Liv.   “She’s so cute, isn’t she?” 

“Yeah, she is, isn’t she?”   Liv commented.  “I love her to bits.”

“You’re a good owner, Liv, I think.”  Diane smiled.

“Thanks Diane.”  Liv smiled back.

Liv went through to the living room and sat next to Robert.  She saw something good on TV he was watching.

Aaron and Diane were left in each other’s company.  They smiled to each other while both stroking the dog.

Diane looked to Aaron.  “Why isn’t Robert interested in Trixie?”

“He’s scared of dogs.”  Aaron replied.

His reply was met by a shocked look on Diane’s face.  “Scared?  His father always got dogs on the farm and he grew close to the helper dogs.” 

“When he was younger, he said.”

“He was close to them when I met him.   Jack said he was.” 

Aaron was confused once Diane left.  He didn’t decide to push Robert on the matter.  He didn’t feel like he should.  He thought maybe Diane got confused about it.

It was certain when Aaron was looking all around his and Robert’s room, looking for a contact number for the scrapyard.  He soon found it.

Something caught his eye in Robert’s drawer: a picture of a teenage Robert with a border collie.  He couldn’t believe it, Robert wasn’t scared of dogs.  He was lying.  He probably didn’t like dogs and wanted to control what was happening with Trixie.  He went out the other night and laid about everything.  He was annoyed that he got a dog in the first place with the fact he disliked them. It didn’t make sense with the fact Robert was stroking Trixie the other night.

He went to the scrapyard to see Robert sitting there, smiling at him.   “What have you come for?  I really want you here.” 

“What for?”  Aaron asked.

“To see you of course.  Why else?” 

“Dunno.  Like the fact you’ve been lying to me the past few weeks about the dog issues.”

“What do you mean?”  Robert was confused.   “I haven’t admitted anything.”

“So, you’re saying it’s true.”

“No…it’s just how do you think that summit like that.  What makes you come to the conclusion?” 

“The fact in your drawer there’s a photo of you and a border collie.” 

Robert’s face turned to thunder.  “What?  Why did you look?”  His voice was breaking.  “Don’t tell me.”

“Looking for a scrap contact.”  Aaron felt a bit guilty.

Robert didn’t say another word and stormed out of the portacabin. 

Vic came in.  “Robert!” 

She turned to Aaron.  “Where’s he going?”

“Dunno.  There was a photo of him and a border collie in his drawer.”

“What?”

“That’s why I need to have a word with him.”

She looked at Aaron, sympathetically.  “Look Aaron, Rob’s not been himself the past few weeks.  He’s been crying.  I’ve saw him and he’s told me it’s nothing.  Go and talk to him.” 

Aaron didn’t say another word and went back home.

He found Robert in the bedroom, tears streaming down his face, looking down at the photo of the border collie.

He sat down next to him.  “Tell me, Robert.  What happened?”

Robert turned to Aaron.  “Had this dog once.  It was a stray.”

_17 years previously_

_A young Robert was checking out the last barn.  He hated the job his father made him do.  He wanted to see his mother, but his father wouldn’t let him til the work was done._

_In the furthest away barn, he found a fluffy ball in the corner of it.  He went over and there was a dog._

_“Are you ok?”  Robert said to it._

_The dog whimpered._

_“Robert!”  His father yelled from across the fields._

_“I’ll see you tomorrow, boy.”_

_His mind didn’t get off the dog in the barn for the whole night, even when he went to see his father._

_The next day_

_“Boy, how are you doing?”_

_The dog panted.  Robert got some water for it from the hose._

_“I will get food for you for tomorrow.”_

_Robert was sitting, having tea with his father since Andy was away on a school and Victoria was with their mother._

_“So, son, how was your day out in the fields?”  Jack asked.   “You seem excited tonight.”_

_“Am I not allowed to be happy?”  Robert fired back._

_Jack smiled.  “Just asking, son, just asking.”    He got back onto his dinner._

_Robert went to the shop the next day and bought some dog food._

_Viv clocked up.  “What do you want with dog food, Robert?”_

_“My mate’s got a dog and I owe him one.”_

_“Which mate?”_

_Donna came down.  “Robert…”_

_“Tell your mother to shut up.”  He stormed out of the shop as he put money on the counter._

_He got back to the farm to see the border collie still there.  He petted it.  He give it some food._

_“I think I might call you Barky.”_

_The dog licked his face._

_As time went on, Robert realized something about Barky._

_“Why can’t you fetch the stick, boy?”_

_He then concluded that Barky was blind.  He fussed the dog._

_He made sure nobody found out about the dog.  It was his best mate._

_He went out of the village for dog food.  He went to the library to see what activities to do with blind dogs.  He concluded that he had abandonment issues.  He thought the owners had dumped her.  He played games with him._

_One day that would all change._

_His father was out with a gun.  There had been reports of a dog attacking the sheep.  He didn’t know that._

_He was fussing Barky and he went out of a walk._

_BANG!_

_Robert rushed out of the barn to see what had happened.  There was Barky lying on the ground, motionless.  There was blood coming out of his chest._

_He looked across the field to see his father standing there, shocked._

_“What have you done!”  He yelled._

_His father came from the fields and came towards him.   “Why have you got a dog?”_

_“He was abandoned here.  I took here of him called him Snappy.”  He was crying.  “He was the only friend I’ve ever had.”_

_His father tried to hug and comfort him, but he pushed him away from him.   “No, you don’t.”_

_“No son, you listen to me.   Less of your cheek.  You don’t tell anybody of this, got me.  We keep it to ourselves.”  His father had said, leaving him heartbroken._

_“I can’t grief for Barky.”  He cried._

_“Wipe your tears.”  He did._

_His father had hugged him.  He got up and his father took care of the body, putting it in the wild._

_He went back into the house.   “I’ve took care of the body, threw it in the forest.”_

_“He was blind.”_

_“It’ll be hard now, son.  But you should’ve told me.  It could’ve killed the sheep.”_

_“He was blind, dad.”_

_“I’m sorry for it.  But you must never tell anybody you had a dog.  I don’t want people knowing I’ve killed a dog.  And you’ll get told off for having one.”_

Robert went through all the events to Aaron.  Aaron put his arm around him and hugged him while he cried.

“I wanted to tell my mum, but I never got the chance to.” 

_2002_

_“Our Robert loves dogs.  Got close to loads when he was a kid.”  His father had said to Diane._

He told Aaron what his father had said to people. 

“The other night, I went back to that barn where I used to spend time with Barky and where he lived.  The night before that I was there too.  I got caught though.  I’d of waited for six months because I might have got used to it.” 

“That’s why I’ve never be able to get close to dogs.  Why I didn’t want one.  I couldn’t bear of losing another.  I never got to grief, had to keep it under wraps.” 

“Your dad?  He seemed like a nice bloke when I knew him and what Vic, Diane and Andy say about him, but he treated you like shit.” 

“Yeah, he did.  He should’ve let me talk to people and grief.”  Robert dried his tears.

“I’m sorry for everything.” 

“It’s not your fault.” 

“Trixie isn’t going to die.” 

“I know that.  I’m going to get close to her.” 

Robert went downstairs and stroked Trixie til his heart was content.  He kept the picture of Barky and put it on his shelf.  He would never forget Barky…his best mate


End file.
